January 6, 2005: Headlines: COS - Botswana: COS - Zambia: COS - Malawi: COS - Mozambique: Dreadlocks: All Africa: Dreadlocked Peace Corps Volunteer Sire Incisd from Louisiana is doing voluntary work in Zambia and was in Botswana for New Year holidays after spending some time in Malawi and Mozambique

Caption: The photo above is of Counting Crows singer Adam Duritz and is *not* Sire Incisd.

At the Gaborone Main Mall people could not hide their surprise on seeing him. They could not get their eyes off him. They were perhaps murmuring and asking themselves; "how could a white man grow dreadlocks", a hairstyle associated with thuggish black people.

Some even yelled "Jah Man" at the charismatic 23-year-old Sire Incisd from a distance and he would respond with the same slogan. The US Peace Corps from Louisiana is doing voluntary work in Zambia and was in Botswana for New Year holidays after spending some time in Malawi and Mozambique. He says he has been surprised by the peaceful people he met in all the African countries he toured. "I am surprised people in Africa are more peaceful than I had expected. The people here are all beautiful and the town is more like our towns in the US, and the difference is that the place here is tidier than some of the towns back home," he said referring to the Main Mall. Subscribe to AllAfrica

He was surprised that what he had experienced is in contrast to what he grew up knowing about Africa. "In the US, many if not all television programmes about Africa are about civil wars, killings, people carrying guns in the streets, images of starving people and others dying whom we are told are AIDS victims. I just can't believe what I am seeing, all women are beautiful and I wish I could take two of them with me home," he said jokingly.

Incisd has lived in the remote Lusindi area in Zambia for the past 18 months educating people on health and hygiene issues.

"I love Africa because the people here are cool and are still attached to their roots. In Zambia where I am staying, I live in a mud hut with no water or electricity and I fetch water from a very far away source and the experience is incredible," he said with enthusiasm. "The people there still eat their staple food with bare hands and they still walk around barefooted. They still perform rituals and their employment and way of life is farming," he said.

He added that he developed an attachment Rastafarianism from childhood and he grew the dreadlocks a few years back. However the funny side of the white Rastaman is that he neither believes in Jah nor Haile Selassie.

"I am not too religious and I believe in neither of the main names in all religions. I am also not deep into Rasta but I believe in some of their principles such as not drinking beer; not eating meat because I hate to kill; and loving peace. The other reason I do not eat meat is that in America, we subsidise farming, a thing that hurts economies of developing countries, who could export their products to developed countries without having to face stiff competition from our farmers."

He said that his friends and the people back home despise him for his dreadlocks. Some tell him that he is silly and has lost his mind and that he would never get a job with his hairstyle. "My parents do not have any problem with my dreadlocks and they always advice me to take care of myself."

He said that he only heard about Botswana for the first time in Zambia.

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Peace Corps issues appeal to Thailand RPCVsPeace Corps is currently assessing the situation in Thailand, anticipates a need for volunteers and is making an appeal to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps. Also read this message and this message from RPCVs in Thailand. All PCVs serving in Thailand are safe. Latest: Sri Lanka RPCVs, click here for info.

The World's Broken Promise to our ChildrenFormer Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005.

Our debt to Bill MoyersFormer Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

The Birth of the Peace CorpsUMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

Charges possible in 1976 PCV slayingCongressman Norm Dicks has asked the U.S. attorney in Seattle to consider pursuing charges against Dennis Priven, the man accused of killing Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner on the South Pacific island of Tonga 28 years ago. Background on this story here and here.

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